If you’re looking to release your first digital release on a DSP (Digital Streaming Platform), you NEED to sign up for Spotify for Artists & claim your Spotify artist page. Spotify’s artist platform is filled with essential tools to help you develop your career, get more streams and plan your music marketing strategies.

With a Spotify for Artists account, you will be able to see who’s been listening to your music from across the world. You will also get the opportunity to pitch for official Spotify playlists and track your playlist features.

Plus, if you want to get the blue tick of approval on your Spotify artist profile you will want to sign up for Spotify for Artists as you will be verified automatically.

So if you're releasing music to Spotify, here's how to claim your profile & get access to this crucial service.

HOW TO CLAIM SPOTIFY FOR ARTISTS PROFILE

You can only get access to Spotify for Artists if:

1) Your music is already available on Spotify.

2) Your music isn’t available on Spotify yet, but you’ve uploaded your first release to a digital distrubitor & it’s been accepted by Spotify ahead of your release date. You’ll know it’s been accepted when you receive a notification from the distributor saying its set for release.

Find out how to sign up for Spotify for Artists in either of these scenarios below.

If your music is already live on Spotify:

- Head to artists.spotify.com and click ‘Get Access’

- Select ‘Artist or Manager’ & hit ‘Continue’

- Search for your Artist Name or copy & paste your Spotify Artist Link into the box

- Select your Artist Name & follow the instruction to verify your profile

You can find your Spotify Artist Link by heading to your profile on Spotify and clicking the 3 dots underneath your artist name. The head down to ‘Share’ and click ‘Copy Artist Link’

If your music isn’t live on Spotify, but your first release is in their system:

For this you’ll need your Spotify URI. 

You can request your Spotify URI by emailing your distributor, but only once you’ve uploaded your first release ahead of your release date.

Your Spotify URI will look something like this: spotify:artist:1anyVhU62p31KFi8MEzkbf

Once you’ve received your Spotify URI, just follow the instructions above (or the gif below) but paste your URI into the search box to find your profile.

TIP: It’s worth claiming your Spotify for Artists account in the run up to your first ever release so you can pitch it for official Spotify playlists.

HOW TO SUBMIT TO OFFICIAL SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS WITH SPOTIFY FOR ARTISTS

Once you’ve got access to your Spotify for Artists account, you can start pitching your music for features on official Spotify playlists.

However, you can only submit unreleased music for official Spotify playlists.

Once you’ve uploaded a release to your distributor and it’s been accepted into Spotify’s system, head to the MUSIC tab of your Spotify for Artists account and click ‘Upcoming’.

This is where you’ll find your upcoming releases and the option submit them for official playlists.

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR SPOTIFY PICTURE & EDIT YOUR PROFILE 

You can also edit and customise your Spotify artist profile through Spotify for Artists.

Just hit the PROFILE tab at the top of your Spotify for Artists dashboard. From here you can change your profile picture, edit your artist bio and lots more.

It’s worth completing your profile with as much information as possible including:

- Avatar & header images

- Press shots in your image gallery

- Social media links

- Artist bio

- Upcoming shows

- Fundraising pick

TRACK YOUR AUDIENCE & STREAMS

By tracking who is listening to your music, where and how, you can adjust your marketing strategies accordingly to make sure they’ve having the most effective impact.

TIP: Let’s say you notice on Spotify for Artists that you get a lot of streams & playlist features in Germany. You could use that info to increase your marketing budget in Germany, promoting your music heavily in a region you know you have fans.

Here’s are the stats you can track in Spotify for Artists:

- Total listeners & streams

- Listener genders & ages

- Top countries & cities

- Playlist features

You can also track the source of your streams, whether that's from user libraries, editorial & algorithmic playlists or elsewhere.

As you can see, Spotify for Artists has loads of incredibly useful info and tools for artists, so if you haven’t claimed your account yet - go do it now!

Do you have any questions about accessing or using Spotify for Artists? Let us know in the comments below.